Who Are the Goshute?
The Goshute (also spelled Gosiute) are a Western Shoshone people of the Great Basin, traditionally inhabiting the desert valleys west of the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah and eastern Nevada. They speak a dialect of Shoshoni, part of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. The Goshute adapted to one of North America's harshest desert environments, developing sophisticated knowledge of scarce resources. Before contact, they numbered perhaps 900-1,000 people organized into small, mobile family bands. Today, two federally recognized tribes—the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians—have combined enrolled populations of approximately 500-600 members.
Desert Adaptation
Traditional Goshute culture was superbly adapted to the Great Basin's harsh desert environment. The region receives minimal rainfall; few rivers or permanent water sources exist. The Goshute developed detailed knowledge of scattered springs, seasonal seed crops, and small game that allowed survival where outsiders often perished. Pine nuts from pinyon groves were harvested in fall; various seeds were collected throughout the year; jackrabbits, rodents, and insects supplemented plant foods. Mobility was essential—small family groups moved frequently to exploit dispersed resources. Material culture was minimal, designed for transport. This desert lifeway required intimate environmental knowledge accumulated over millennia.
Nuclear Waste Controversy
The Skull Valley Band of Goshute gained national attention in the 1990s-2000s when tribal leaders proposed hosting a private nuclear waste storage facility on their reservation. The proposal generated fierce controversy: supporters argued it would bring desperately needed economic development to an impoverished tribe; opponents (including some tribal members, environmental groups, and the state of Utah) raised safety concerns and questioned whether the decision reflected the full community. The proposal ultimately failed due to federal regulatory and political obstacles, but it highlighted tensions between tribal sovereignty, economic desperation, and environmental justice that affect many Native American communities considering hazardous waste facilities.
Contemporary Goshute
Modern Goshute communities face the challenges of small, isolated reservations with limited economic opportunities. The Deep Creek Reservation (shared by Goshute and Shoshone) and Skull Valley Reservation are located in remote, sparsely populated areas. Employment opportunities are scarce; many members have migrated to urban areas while maintaining tribal enrollment. Cultural revitalization includes efforts to document Goshute language and traditional knowledge, though fluent speakers are extremely few. The Goshute represent indigenous peoples whose harsh desert homeland was never coveted by settlers yet who now face their own challenges of economic marginalization and cultural preservation in one of America's most remote regions.
References
- Malouf, C. (1966). Ethnohistory in the Great Basin
- Crum, S. J. (1994). The Road on Which We Came: A History of the Western Shoshone
- Ishiyama, N. (2003). Environmental Justice and American Indian Tribal Sovereignty